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The Biggest Mistakes 20-Something Job Seekers Make

There was the young job seeker who showed up at his interview 15 minutes late, failed to apologize, and then asked if the interviewer had a garbage can so he could throw away his gum. There was also the 20-something applicant whose call to the hiring manager went dead in the middle of the conversation. The young woman didn’t call back for two hours, only to explain, without apology, that she had dropped her phone in a tub of water while she was getting a manicure. Then there was the mother who called her son’s boss when he wasn’t hired at the end of his internship, and demanded to know why.

Dani Ticktin Koplik, 59, an executive and performance coach in Englewood, NJ, has lots of stories like these. For the last several years, half of Koplik’s coaching practice has been made up of so-called Generation Y, or Millennial, job seekers. This group, age 20-32, makes a series of job-searching mistakes that stem from their sense of entitlement, lack of deference to authority and over-involvement by their parents. Koplik says in her own practice, parents frequently call and email, and try to micro-manage the coaching process. To run interference, Koplik schedules a monthly meeting with parents, mostly to tell them to stop meddling. She also coaches them to give their kids a consistent message. Too many parents tell their offspring that they have to earn a living, and then let them live at home indefinitely rent-free. Koplik recommends timetables and limits.

I asked Koplik for a list of mistakes her 20-something clients make, and she had plenty of ideas. Here is her list of the top ten.

1. Acting entitled One of the consequences of over-involved parents is that young people feel as though they deserve an easy ride. Koplik tells of an intern who, on the first day, informed his supervisor that he had to leave early that Thursday for a horseback riding lesson. “It didn’t dawn on this person that he was being totally inappropriate and sabotaging his career,” says Koplik.

2. Starting the process too late Ideally, college students should start looking for meaningful internships for the summer after their freshman year. Students who assume that they will get a job without too much effort, wait too long to begin the process.

3. Under-utilizing the alumni network Though parents and their friends can provide good contacts, the network of professionals that comes through a college or university should be one of the first places a young job seeker turns.

4. Using a résumé that’s sloppy and too self-centered Young job seekers are often weak on résumé basics, like clear, tidy layout, careful proofreading for grammar and punctuation, and use of keywords from the job description. Another big problem: the “objective” section tends to be too much about what they want, and not enough about the potential employer. For example, young applicants often say, “entry level position where I can use my skills, ideas and enthusiasm and I can learn a lot.” Instead, the emphasis should be on what they can contribute to the employer. Applicants should also leave off menial jobs like camp counselor, unless they can quantify their achievements, like saying they organized waterfront activities for a group of 150 campers.

5. Writing cover letters that repeat the résumé Many young applicants regurgitate their résumé accomplishments in their cover letters. Instead, cover letters should be short and vivid, and say something particular about what the applicant can bring to the job.

6. Doing poor research Young job seekers often just glance at a company website before an interview. Instead they should read everything on the site, search for news clippings about the company, and track social media information, like TwitterTwitter feeds, on company managers.

7. Failing to clean up their social media profile All of those drunken, bikini-clad pictures on Facebook should be removed, or locked down with privacy settings. Everyone, including college students, needs a polished LinkedInLinkedIn profile.

8. Not showing enough appreciation for the interviewer Young applicants often fail to conclude an interview with an expression of gratitude for the interviewer’s time. Always thank the interviewer in person, make it clear you would consider it a privilege to work at the company and ask about the next step in the process. Then follow up with a handwritten thank-you note or email that references specifics discussed in the interview.

9. Failing to show generational deferenceKoplik tells of the summer intern who, at the end of his time on the job, marched into the office of the chief diversity officer at a big company and said, “Could I give you some feedback on my internship?” Young people are so used to being included in conversations, they fail to grasp their position in the pecking order.

10. Relying too heavily on listings and job fairsI write this in every article about job search mistakes, because it’s a chronic problem. Koplik says that young job seekers are just as guilty of spending too much time applying to online listings, and through anonymous job fairs, as their more senior peers. We say this over and over: People find jobs through people they know, rather than through advertisements. If you see a listing for a job, try to find a personal connection to the employer and use that as your entry point.

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Omit the parental calls and replace horseback riding with picking up little Johnny at school and you can say this list describes those of the baby boomer generation. Especially numbers 1, 5, 7 and 10. How about a list of the biggest mistakes 40+ something job seekers make?

Ms. Adams may succeed in offering common sense advice to young professionals in this article, but what she fails to achieve is writing something more than another generalization echoing the notion that millennials are “entitled” and “not ready for the workforce”. As a young professional with a strong network of other talented and successful professionals my age, I cringe upon reading stories such as these. I highly doubt the type of job seekers used as examples in this article read Forbes and/or similar publications. I propose to writers that instead of regurgitating derogatory notions about the behavior of young people, investigate the reasons why there is a disconnect between professionals among new and old generations. Here is a list I call “3 Biggest Mistakes Baby Boomers Make in Recruiting New/Young Talent”:

1. Being impersonal: Relying solely on blackhole internet job applications. Choosing people based on key words and applications over face to face interaction. Not getting back to interviewees with polite rejection letters or phone calls. 2. Acting as if you are doing them a favor by giving them a job: Don’t act this way during an interview. If the candidate is well suited, you need him/her in the long run more than they need you. 3. Writing and subscribing to generalized literature about “the lazy and entitled millenials.”- This stuff is toxic and I would bet that so many older people choose to write about it because its popular and gets a large audience. But you are only contributing spreading a negative viewpoint that does not help anybody.

I applaud companies and individuals who do not subscribe to the above practices. There are still managers that realize bad examples of millenials are not representative of our population. I believe Millenials only really feel entitled to one thing: respect. Last time I checked every human being was entitled to that.

Thanks for your comment. I think most employers do the opposite of relying on black hole internet applications. As the saying goes, people get jobs through people they know, and I think this is especially true for boomer employers who are not as comfortable screening applicants online as are younger managers. However I do agree that not all Millennials are lazy and entitled, but Koplik has seen her share of young people who fit this description.

I’m afraid I disagree, ma’am. The truth is that it depends on what kind of job you’re trying to get and whether you know many people who can help you land that job. I’m speaking as a young 20-something who just got his first professional programming job out of college, and really, it’s hard to find a job in this industry that isn’t listed somewhere online. Even boomers in this industry have to put their openings on the Internet because the programmers who are looking for jobs will be tech-savvy and, frankly, will come online to look around a bit first. I’m inclined to agree that knowing people definitely does help you get jobs, but not everybody’s going to be in a situation where they know anybody that can help in that regard. It’s definitely not the only way to get a job.

Thank you for your comments, apren. While I generally do not comment on articles/forums, I felt compelled to piggy-back on apren’s comments in defense of millennials. I am 27, freshly out of graduate school, and seeking work in my home state (which is different from where I live now). I have been looking for work post-graduation since January, without much luck in making connections as my school and home state are in different regions. I have gotten referrals from colleagues and friends only to call and e-mail prospective employers and receive no response. I had a job interview two months ago, in which I was one of three potential candidates and followed up multiple times, but never heard one way or the other. I have submitted 40+ job applications to the black hole of the internet and have a very slim response rate; when I look into following up with each organization or company the general policy is “Due to the high volume of applicants, we may not be able to reach out to each candidate but know that we appreciate your interest in XYZ.” I think apren’s point about employers being impersonal really hits the mark. What happened to people being willing to take 15 minutes out of their day to talk to a young up-and-comer? All I (and many of my peers) want is to work hard and contribute to a company where I feel valued and respected, but I can’t imagine that is a feeling unique to those in my generation. While I’m sure that Koplik’s stories are valid, I can imagine that they would be the exception rather than the rule.

I am a 19 year old who began searching for jobs online at age 14 as a video editor. After submitting more than 500 job applications in total, I have learned many many things. And the items in your article certainly check out. I fell prey to most of these mistakes at first, simply because no one taught me (school, parents, etc.).

The only thing I believe was left out of this article (which was wonderfully written nonetheless), was the potent lack of PERSEVERANCE that exists within my generation. Videos have to be 30 seconds, articles have to be one page, my job search should be done in one day. We burn out fast, and we become dependable fast.

I graduated high school at 17 with a passion for digital media and technology, I dropped out of college at age 19 and now, six months later, I am working a respectable full time job that pays over $120,000 a year with combined freelance projects, and am now able to fund a series of technological pursuits with new partners around the country. I can assure you, that was no easy transition, and I was almost on the streets a few times, but that’s the risk it took to reach a high level in my career.

So it wasn’t until I actually went out and made a thousand mistakes that I was able to come back knowing what to say, when to say it, and how it should be said. I also want to sincerely thank you for writing these sorts of articles which I was able to use for research purposes. If you are ever wondering if some 14 year old kid out there actually reads these kinds of things, I can assure you they exist! Bravo! Time to read more Napoleon Hill.

I have had a 30+ year-old job-seeking executive not answer a phone call for an interview, and say later that he forgot his phone in his car and can I reschedule. I have also had one or two, on being asked a question, say “Well, I wouldn’t put it quite like that” and proceed to reframe my question for me. :)

#4 is my favorite one with #8 a close second. At Koru, a career accelerator program in Seattle, we impress upon our recent graduates that employers are not looking to be the place where they “can learn a lot.” Employers need to get work done, and are looking for bright, gritty grads who can take initiative, ask questions, and do great work. I do a session on business communication from the employer perspective, and the thank you note piece really hits home. I rarely get thank you notes from my friends, let alone applicants for jobs, so it is an easy and meaningful way to stand out.

The good news is that Millennials are coachable – they quickly make changes as soon as they understand why. I think one of the most important things that Millennials can do is practice empathy–try to see things from the other person’s point of view. Be a recruiter, an executive, or your boss, having empathy for them really helps prevent situations in #1 and #9.

This is antithetical to the premise of working. Education is supposed to give you a foundation and that is all. No matter what job you’re at, you’re supposed to be continually learning and challenging yourself, and your workplace is the environment to foster that. This is also why the system is now wrought with certifications after certification (above an already bloated money making racket/scheme).

With all the information available, it is hard to believe that new job seekers have not mastered some of the basics. One of our candidates set up a phone interview at 9:00am, and when called, said “sorry if I sound sleepy, I just woke up!” Another gave us feedback on our non-profit financials “this place is a mess.” Another wore a low cut blouse, leggings and hair uncombed. Still another, changed the interview appt twice and then was late for the appt. and no apologies. And those were the candidates that remained after we screened for typos on resumes. Typos for a writing position. Good grief!

How about this quote on young people? “Our youth now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for their elders and love chatter in place of exercise; they no longer rise when elders enter the room; they contradict their parents, chatter before company; gobble up their food and tyrannize their teachers.” The quote is from Socrates. Apparently every generation is the most entitled generation ever.

I don’t believe it’s a strictly generational thing, but I do agree that resume objectives are largely poorly thought-out. Employers hire because they have a need, not because they give out learning opportunities from sheer benevolence. This blog post makes the case for skipping resume objectives entirely: http://www.jobscan.co/blog/2014/08/22/should-you-use-a-resume-objective/

I used jobscan. They helped me out so much, I got several interviews after using their site and it literally only takes a few seconds. I love how I could use it not just once but for every job that I applied to, tailoring my resume for each position that I was applying for. It was a great tool to have. I always recommend it to anyone still looking for a job, glad to see someone else has heard of it. That’s also a good blog post from them. That’ll be all I comment on here since I’m in the “20-something” group and don’t want to be out-numbered lol.